The Panel | Spring Into Linux

The panels for the desktops are shown in Figure 6-6. The KDE panel is the top panel; the GNOME panel is the bottom panel.

The panels have the same five components, from left to right:

Icon bar: The section on the left that contains application icons. It's also called the application launcher. Clicking an icon starts an application. Moving the mouse pointer over an icon displays the application name in a tool tip.
Pager: The four-paned window that switches between virtual desktops.
Taskbar: A section that contains items for any open applications. The KDE panel shows one application openX Settings. The GNOME panel shows two open applicationsOpenOffice and the Mozilla browser. Clicking an application on the panel opens it if it is minimized and brings it to the top of the open applications on the desktop.
System tray: The section on the right that contains icons for useful system applications that you access directly on the panel, rather than open in a window. The clock is farthest on the right. If you move the mouse pointer over the clock, the date displays in a tool tip. If you click the clock, a one-month calendar displays. You can move forward or backward through the calendar in monthly or yearly jumps. If you right-click on the clock, a menu displays that allows you to perform tasks, such as adjusting the date and time and changing the way the time displays. This type of application is called an applet.
Panel-hiding button: The little arrow on the end(s) of the panel. Clicking the arrow causes the panel to slide off the desktop, leaving only a little arrow that you can click to bring the panel back onto the desktop.

Notice that the leftmost icon is the red fedora that opens the main menu, discussed earlier in this chapter.